Ngöndro is a set of Buddhist practices that one chooses to complete at the request of one’s lama. Ngöndro can be translated as “to go before.” It is therefore known as the four preliminary practices, or the four uncommon or extraordinary preliminaries. I will be describing the Karma Kagyu Chag Chen Ngöndro — the Great Seal Preliminaries — from the Ninth Karmapa here, as this is what I practise. The full practice may be compared to earning a bachelor’s degree in meditation, as the practices usually take years to complete, and when one is finished one normally receives a Yidam practice from his or her lama as a sort of graduation gift. Yidam means mind bond and is usually a lifelong practice.
The Ngöndro consists of four — and sometimes five—practices. The four preliminary practices are:
- Refuge and Enlightened Attitude (Prostrations)
- Vajrasattva — Diamond Mind
- Mandala Offering
- Guru Yoga
Understanding what is Ngöndro in its entirety — as a system rather than four separate practices — is what makes the difference between completing it and truly integrating it.
The four main practices each require 111,111 repetitions of their respective mantra or exercise — yes, one hundred and eleven thousand one hundred and eleven per practice. I am not kidding. This is why the Ngöndro takes years to complete. A rough calculation is about 10000 hours, you know while counting all the repetitions counting a few hours is no big deal. I hope this page answers the question of what is Ngöndro.
The Fifth Practice — The Small Refuge
Before the four main practices there is what is commonly referred to as the small refuge, sometimes called the outer or common refuge. It requires 11,111 repetitions — a fraction of the main practices — and serves both as a formal entry into the Buddhist path and, in many lineages, as a kind of trial run. One settles into the rhythm of practice, establishes the habit of the cushion, and begins to understand what one is actually signing up for. Some teachers use this as a gentle filter: those who complete it with genuine commitment go forward. Those who find the discipline itself impossible are better served by other practices.
There is no judgement in this. The Ngöndro is a profound and demanding undertaking, and the small refuge is a compassionate door that opens slowly. It is worth noting that the practice also carries responsibility: one should not begin what one will not finish. Active compassion is the filter here — this is not a casual undertaking, and incomplete practice, if not handled with care and honesty with one’s lama, can create difficulty rather than benefit. The traditional lung, or oral transmission, can only be received from a lama. That conversation is always the right starting point.
The First Practice — Refuge and Enlightened Attitude (Prostrations)
The total package of the Chag Chen Ngöndro can be compared to that of renovating a house — or in this case, your mind. When one has a house that needs total renovation, one tears down the walls, replaces the wiring and water pipes, and anything else that is in poor repair. This is the prostrations. They are hard work, require time and sweat, and you will feel them the next day. Actually, for me it really hurt. But they do come with many benefits. As one develops in the practice so does one’s devotion, dedication, and one-pointedness to the lama and the entire transmission lineage. One purifies all karma that is connected to the body and its physical actions. One can also become quite fit in the process and they open up blocked energies from our chakras. In each prostration we are aligning our body, speech, and mind chakras on a physical level with our prayer mudras that touch each of these centres, and on an inner level as we alternate our inner focus or attention from one place to another. On the physical side, I found it very beneficial that as one develops core body strength one can easily maintain excellent body posture both in and out of meditation. Correct body posture is incredibly helpful. It’s not uncommon for a 1-pack to finally become a 6-pack.
Likely the most important benefit is two-fold. Firstly, one begins to repeat the promise of the Bodhisattva every time we meditate. Being a Bodhisattva is not always easy, but with practice it can be. As motivation to do the prostrations one can imagine that we do them for others. I have personally met one yogi who travelled 500km doing prostrations as he went — all for those who could not do them for themselves. Secondly, we begin to work with altruistic wishes such as: “May all beings have happiness and the cause of happiness. May all beings be free from suffering and the cause of suffering. May they always experience happiness which is totally free from suffering. And may they remain in the great equanimity which is without attachment and aversion.” These are very important steps on the path of the Bodhisattva.
Science
🔬 Neuroscientist Britta Hölzel and colleagues (2011) demonstrated measurable increases in grey matter density in the hippocampus and posterior cingulate cortex following sustained meditation practice — regions directly involved in self-awareness and interoception. The combination of movement, breath, and mantra in prostrations engages what researchers call embodied cognition: the body itself becomes an instrument of inner transformation. Studies by Newberg and colleagues on repetitive devotional movement show synchronised activation across motor, limbic, and prefrontal regions — precisely the integration of body, speech, and mind that the practice explicitly intends.
Because it is hard to do these repetitions – bodies have weight – many important developments happen internally. Above all, thankfulness emerges, which can turn into devotion if we wish. At the same time a sense of security and coming home will arise.
— Lama Ole Nydahl, The Four Foundational Practices
The Second Practice — Vajrasattva, Diamond Mind
The second practice of Vajrasattva, or Diamond Mind, is compared to cleaning out all the dust and dirt that has accumulated over the years — the second phase of renovation, once all the rough work is finished. Vajrasattva is intrinsically connected to emotions like anger. One purifies even the most subtle and hidden aspects of the negative things that we have said, thought, or done since beginningless time. The mantra is quite long — 100 syllables to be exact — and one mala takes a minimum of 15 minutes. Here one can hone concentration skills and enjoy the blessing and relief of removing even more negative karma from one’s store consciousness.
The practice of holding one’s concentration so intensely can often, but not always, lead to feelings similar to that of anger. This happens because we are in a subtle way creating the mental or inner conditions that are reminiscent of anger. As we develop with the practice we begin to see this narrowness or tightening in everyday situations as we really do become angry. The meditation is skillfully showing us that anger is coming. We then have realised the great gift of being able to choose to react negatively or not. This is the essence of Vajrasattva’s nectar: it purifies our past response to anger, and we are left with an unobscured observation of the situation. This deep wisdom can only grow from here into the openness we begin to develop in the next practice of the Mandala Offering.
Science
🔬 Neuroscientist Britta Hölzel and colleagues (2011) demonstrated measurable increases in grey matter density in the hippocampus and posterior cingulate cortex following sustained meditation practice — regions directly involved in self-awareness and interoception. The combination of movement, breath, and mantra in prostrations engages what researchers call embodied cognition: the body itself becomes an instrument of inner transformation. Studies by Newberg and colleagues on repetitive devotional movement show synchronised activation across motor, limbic, and prefrontal regions — precisely the integration of body, speech, and mind that the practice explicitly intends.
To meditate on Vajrasattva is the same as to meditate upon all the Buddhas. His hundred-syllable mantra is the quintessence of all mantras.
— Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
The Third Practice — Mandala Offering
The third practice is called Mandala Offering and it is for sure the most intricate and beautiful of all four practices. This is the fresh paint, new carpets, and beautiful decorating phase after the hard work of the renovation. Here, one imagines universes of amazing and fantastic offerings for all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas from all times and directions, as one places piles of rice and semi-precious stones on a silver plate and wipes them away. We practise giving without regret or attachment, and a deeper sense of thankfulness spills over into our everyday lives as one repeats the mantra both on and off the meditation cushion. We may even begin to have an idea of what emptiness is — but don’t worry, this idea is certain to change, as do all ideas and concepts in Buddhism. I personally found Mandala to be the most profound and personally satisfying practice. For me is was the fastest finished, I just could not stop, and the 3rd 111111 is just as much fun as the first.
Science
🔬 Neuroscientist Jordan Grafman’s research on charitable giving revealed activation in the mesolimbic reward system — the same circuitry that responds to food, safety, and social connection. Generosity, neurologically, is pleasurable. Klimecki, Leiberg, Lamm, and Singer (2013) further demonstrated that compassion-based training produces measurable increases in positive affect and prosocial behaviour. The Mandala practice trains exactly this: the repeated gesture of offering everything, without retention, quietly rewires the neural architecture of generosity at its most foundational level.
Just like the mind whose nature is stainless, your mandala must be clean, utterly free of dirt and impurities.
— Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye, The Torch of Certainty
The Fourth Practice — Guru Yoga
The fourth and final practice of the Ngöndro is Guru Yoga. Like many practices in Tibetan Buddhism, one directly meditates on the lama — and in this case on all the lamas of the entire transmission lineage. This seems only natural: to invite everyone over to celebrate after your house is renovated. And here the guests bring immense blessing for one’s future practice.
On the subject of Guru Yoga, it would be irresponsible not to mention that when we meditate “on” the lama, we are not meditating on a person of flesh and blood. We are meditating on a form of enlightened energy and light. This is a very skillful way to dissolve our selfish egos and to take on the profoundly positive and enlightening qualities that the lama represents. This effect is multiplied when the entire lineage is placed in mind above one’s head. Devotion and perseverance develop in the practitioner as one begins to recognise and identify with the many exemplary lives that were dedicated entirely to the practice and teaching of the Buddha Dharma. In Guru Yoga we are not looking up at someone above us — we are recognising what is already present, and learning to rest in it.
Science
🔬 Research on empathic resonance and mirror neuron systems suggests that sustained imaginative identification with an idealised other produces genuine shifts in neural patterning. Newberg’s neuroimaging studies of contemplatives during states of self-transcendence show marked reduction in parietal lobe activity — the neurological correlate of the boundary between self and other becoming permeable. What the tradition describes as receiving the blessing and qualities of the lineage, neuroscience might describe as a measurable reorganisation of self-referential processing in the direction of openness.
The literal meaning of guru yoga is ‘union with the teacher’s nature’. To blend your mind with the teacher’s mind is the most profound of all practices, and the shortest path of realization. It is the life force of the path and the one practice that includes all others.
— Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, The Heart Treasure of the Enlightened Ones
The Ngöndro as a Complete System
With an overview of the entire Ngondro practice, it is easy to see how all the individual parts fit in with one another. This is what is known as skillful means. Prostrations and Diamond Mind are heavily slanted to the Shinè side. While Mandala practice is almost entirely Laktong and the Guru Yoga is a combination of them both. The building up phase or the Kyerim phase is longer and more detailed in each subsequent practice and very clearly the Dzogrim phase moves from blessing to emptiness to a full Mahamudra experience. With this in mind, it is easy to see how the Ngondro really is the preparation for understanding the highest of the Kagyu Mahamudra teachings.
For nearly a decade, Quantum Awareness has been a free resource exploring where quantum physics, Buddhism, and neuroscience converge. Every blog post, podcast episode, and teaching is offered freely, in the spirit of the dharma.
🎧 Listen — The Ngöndro Podcast Series
Comming soon
Each episode of this series goes deep into one of the four practices — the tradition, the experience, and what contemporary science has begun to confirm about why these practices work.
I have learned something very powerful from each and every practice and even as I am more than halfway through my third Ngöndro I can say that this experience keeps developing deepening far beyond what I could have imagined in the beginning. I have even considered doing Ngondro for the rest of my life as I personally know quite a few people who have done 5 or more Ngöndros and I am sure that they would say the same. If you are thinking that you may wish to undertake such a profound experience for yourself please ask many questions and find a Buddhist Centre near to you to get qualified explanations. The traditional “lung” or wind or word can only be received from a lama. Although it might seem old fashioned or simply unnecessary a little tradition can go a long way.
Continue Reading:
The Ngöndro sits at the heart of the Karma Kagyu path — below it, the Four Common Preliminaries prepare the ground; above it, the Yidam practice and the Six Yogas of Naropa carry the thread forward. Every link below connects to where you are on that path.
The Four Practices — Deep Dives
Refuge and the Enlightened Attitude — The renovation begins. Body, speech, and mind aligning with the Bodhisattva vow — 111,111 times. The full practice, the neuroscience, and what it actually feels like
Vajrasattva — Diamond Mind — The 100-syllable mantra, the nectar descending, the subtle anger arising and releasing. The most discussed and most misunderstood of the four practices.
Mandala Offering — Universes of offering, wiped away with a breath. The practice of giving without retention — and what neuroscience says about generosity as a rewiring of the brain.
Guru Yoga — The lineage above the crown. More than twenty masters, each one a link in an unbroken chain from Vajradhara to your own lama. Ngondro Guru Yoga the first meeting with the red one.
Where Ngöndro Leads
What is a Yidam? — The master’s degree. After Ngöndro, a Yidam practice is given — not chosen — by your lama. The mind-bond, the development stage, and why the Yidam is not a deity but a mirror. /what-is-a-yidam/
The Ground Under the Practice
What do Shiné and Laktong mean? — The two modes of mind running through every practice on this page.
The Lineage
Mahakala Bernagchen Decoded — The Karma Kagyu protector who guards every practice on this page.
The Black Crown of the Karmapa — The ceremony that connects the practitioner to the living lineage.
External Resources
Karmapa.org — Official teachings on Ngöndro, Vajrasattva, and the Torch of Certainty.
Find a local Centre to receive a Lung
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